Self priming centrifugal pump

ABSTRACT

A centrifugal pump comprising a pump body ( 1 ) housing an impeller ( 3 ) keyed onto a motor shaft ( 4 ) and provided with a suction mouth ( 7 ) and a discharge mouth ( 8 ) capable of being made to communicate with, respectively, a suction pipe ( 9 ) and a discharge pipe ( 10 ). Between the suction mouth ( 7 ) and the suction pipe ( 9 ) there is provided a chamber ( 22 ) that communicates with a tank ( 11 ) situated at a level higher than the level of the pump, said tank being interposed between the discharge mouth ( 8 ) and the discharge pipe ( 10 ) and in communication with both of them and communicating also with the chamber ( 22 ) through a recirculation duct ( 28 ) having a section smaller than the section of the suction pipe ( 9 ). Between the tank ( 11 ) and the chamber ( 22 ) there is also provided means ( 13 ) for cutting off the flow that are controlled by the pressure existing in the tank to automatically cause the liquid to be recirculated in the tank to automatically cause the liquid to be recirculated through the chamber  822 ) and into the pump whenever the pressure in the tank drops below a predetermined value.

DESCRIPTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a self-prining centrifugal pump.

[0003] 2. Background of the Invention

[0004] It is well known that a centrifugal pump comprises an impeller borne on a motor shaft, the liquid to be pumped entering said impeller along its axis of rotation. The impeller comprises blades that force the liquid radially towards the impeller circumference, discharging it at high speed into a volute formed within a casing surrounding the impeller. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the impeller accelerates the liquid to a high speed and the dynamic pressure associated therewith becomes converted into static pressure in the volute, where this speed is gradually reduced. A significant limitation associated with centrifugal pumps, as also with other pumps that do not provide a volumetric displacement of the liquid, is due to the fact that at the start-up, when the pump is empty, they are unable to remove a significant quantity of air from the suction pipe, so that auxiliary devices have to be provided to allow the pump to be primed, after which it will continue to function regularly.

[0005] A solution that is very commonly adopted to permit the self-priming of a centrifugal pump installed at a level higher than that of the tank from which the liquid is to be taken consists of maintaining a sufficient quantity of liquid at the impeller entry during the self-priming phase or passing it through an appropriate opening in the volute casing. This, of course, calls for the presence of a tank to contain the liquid for the priming process. This solution is characterized by a rather low self-priming height and an unavoidable pressure drop due to the fact that the openings needed for the priming process remain active also when the pump is in operation. This type of priming is used mainly in the agricultural sector.

[0006] A very efficient, but also costly solution to assure the self-priming of a centrifugal pump is to use a vacuum pump as an auxiliary equipment.

[0007] Another very commonly used solution consists of the incorporation of an ejector between the suction mouth and the impeller entry. In pumps of this type, the so-called “jet pumps”, at the start up the pump body is filled with liquid so as to fill also the ejector. After the pump is started up, the impeller induces a liquid circulation through the ejector that entrains air with it, thus forming a mixture of air and water from which air will separate in the upper part of the pump body. The recirculation of the air-liquid mixture continues until all the air has been eliminated, after which the pump will begin to function in the normal manner.

[0008] Though jet pumps are very easy to use and are also less costly to install than other systems, their performance is heavily penalized by the presence of the section restriction caused by the ejector installed in the suction conduit and by the pressure drop due to the orifice situated in front of the Venturi tube, which remains active even when the pump is in operation. On the other hand, pumps without self-priming devices are more efficient, but their operation is rendered rather critical by the possible presence of air bubbles or pockets in the suction pipe. Whenever it is essential for the pump to operate with reasonable continuity, these pumps therefore call for the use of accessories or auxiliary systems or the continuous presence of supervisory personnel.

[0009] There are also cases in which the pump has to be mobile (motor pumps for agriculture, fire-fighting services, road tankers, emergencies of various kinds) and which therefore require a self-priming system that will be rapid, certain and highly efficient.

[0010] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a centrifugal pump capable of automatically priming the liquid flow without any of the aforementioned drawbacks of the known centrifugal pumps.

[0011] Furthermore, it is a particular aim of the present invention to provide a self-priming centrifugal pump of the aforementioned type in which the basic pump characteristics, namely discharge, head and efficiency, will remain unchanged.

[0012] Another aim of the present invention is to provide a self-priming centrifugal pump devoid of section restrictions on the suction side and therefore characterized by an efficiency greater than that of conventional jet pumps.

[0013] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal pump of the aforementioned type that will not require any auxiliary means for being primed and will therefore imply smaller costs than centrifugal pumps with assisted start-up of the known type.

[0014] Yet another aim of the present invention is to provide a self-priming pump of the aforementioned type that will not be subject to the risk of coming momentarily or definitively to a standstill following some deviation from the normal operating conditions and will automatically re-establish these normal conditions without needing the intervention of supervisory personnel.

[0015] Lastly, yet another aim of the present invention is to provide a device adapted to convert a non-self-priming pump into a self-priming pump and make said device available as an accessory that can easily be applied to such a pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] These objects are attained by the self-priming pump in accordance with the present invention of which the principal characteristics are set out in claim 1 hereinbelow.

[0017] Further important characteristics are described in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Further characteristics and advantages of the self-priming centrifugal pump in accordance with the present invention will be brought out more clearly by the following description of a particular embodiment thereof, which is to be considered solely as an example and not limitative in any way, said description making reference to the attached drawings of which:

[0019]FIG. 1 shows an cross-sectional elevational view of a self-priming centrifugal pump in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, the reference number 1 generically indicates a pump body of a substantially conventional shape that defines a chamber 2 within which there is housed an impeller 3 keyed onto a shaft 4 rotated by a motor not shown on the drawing. The periphery of impeller 3 faces a volute 6 of a conventional type formed correspondingly on the interior face of the pump body 1 that delimits chamber 2. Between impeller 3 and pump body 1 there is provided, in a known manner, a sealing device not shown on the drawing. The pump body also comprises a suction mouth 7, coaxial with shaft 4 and the intake of impeller 3, and a discharge mouth 8 arranged with its axis at right angles to shaft 4 and in an eccentric position with respect to said shaft. Further, reference numbers 9 and 10 denote, respectively, a suction pipe upstream of the pump and a discharge pipe downstream thereof.

[0021] Interposed between discharge mouth 8 and discharge pipe 10 there is a tank 11 internally subdivided into two chambers 11 a and 11 b by means of a vertical wall 12 provided with a large passage hole 5 at its bottom end and a small air circulation hole 5 a near its top, this latter to avoid the formation of air pockets during the filling. More particularly, the two chambers are a first chamber 11 a, which is connected to the discharge pipe and also accommodates the discharge mouth 8 of the pump, and a second chamber 11 b that communicates—in a manner subsequently to be described—with the suction side of the pump through a cut-off valve 13. In particular, in the present embodiment of the invention cut-off valve 13 is constituted by a cap 14 integral to a rod 15 slidably connected to tank 11, said cap accommodating an appropriately calibrated helicoidal compression spring 17. The position of cap 14, which acts as shutter with respect to a passage 16 provided on the tank bottom, is controlled by the liquid pressure acting in tank 11, this pressure being opposed by spring 17 arranged between cap 14 and a seating ring 18 surrounding passage 16 and fixed to the tank bottom. Tank 11 is also provided with a filling mouth 19 that can be closed by means of a three-way tap 20 or the like to perform the function of stopper for the intake and air-vent.

[0022] Between pump suction mouth 7 and suction pipe 9 there is installed a body 21 made up of two elements 21 a and 21 b that are combined in such a manner as to delimit a inner chamber 22 and provided with a first and a second inlet port 23 and 24 formed, respectively, on the elements 21 a and 21 b, as well as an outlet port 25 formed on element 21 a and coaxial with the second intake port 24. Outlet port 25 is attached to the flange of pump suction mouth 7 and has the same diameter as this latter. First inlet port 23 is placed in communication with first chamber 11 b of tank 11 by means of a recirculation pipe 28.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention a pipe stub 26 having the same internal diameter as suction mouth 7 is arranged coaxially with intake port 24 inside chamber 22. Pipe stub 26 is provided with a collar 26 a by means of which it is fixed in a position of axial alignment with intake port 24 and outlet port 25 between the two elements 21 a and 21 b of body 21, a seating being provided on each of the faces by means of which these elements are joined together to accommodate said collar 26 a and annular adjustment shims 26 b.

[0024] Chamber 22 within body 21 has a portion 22 a in the form of a truncated cone that converges the outlet port 25 and pip stub 26 extends up to near this portion, thus defining an annular passage denoted by the reference number 29. The flow section of annular passage 29 can be regulated to an optimal value for the desired suction head by moving one or more annular shims 26 b from between collar 26 a and element 21 b of body 1, to between collar 26 a and element 21 a of body 21 and vice versa.

[0025] The recirculation pipe 28 must have a section substantially smaller than that of suction pipe, possibly about half as big, and its optimal size in both length and section must in any case take due account of the pump characteristics and the desired suction head and be matched to annular passage 29 in order to obtain an adequate pressure drop.

[0026] Likewise, annular passage 29 has to have a flow section smaller than that of the recirculation pipe 28.

[0027] A backflow-prevention device 30, such as a non-return valve, is provided between suction pipe 9 and body 21.

[0028] The configuration of the pump in accordance with the invention as just described is such that when annular passage 29 is adjusted to its minimum flow section, the liquid quantity that reaches the impeller inlet for the entire duration of the self-priming process is smaller than the quantity sucked in by the pump when it is operating at maximum capacity. This assures that the impeller will not be saturated, so that it will have the suction reserve needed to create a vacuum in the suction pipe and obtain self-priming at the maximum height (about 9 m in 2′30″).

[0029] When the annular passage 29 is regulated to intermediate values by means of the removal of one or more of the annular shims 26 b, the liquid quantity arriving at the impeller inlet during the self-priming process will be greater than in the previous case and will cause the impeller to become saturated at intermediate manometric suction values. This configuration is advised to diminish the time need for the self priming when the liquid to be sucked up is situated at a lesser height (4-7 m on 1′40″).

[0030] When the pump operates without the pipe stub 26, the greatest possible liquid quantity can be made to reach the impeller inlet during the self-priming process, so that the impeller will become saturated in the presence of intermediate manometric suction values. This operating mode is suggested to reduce the self-priming time when the liquid to be pumped is at a relatively small height below the pump (up to 4 m in 40″).

[0031] These operating modes make it clear that the air present in the suction pipe is extracted directly by the impeller and not simply by being entrained along with the liquid as is the case when jet pumps are used.

[0032] Before the pump is started, the entire group (tank 11, interior pump spaces, chamber 22, sleeve 26 as far as valve 30 and recirculation pipe 28) is flooded by filling the tank with liquid through its inlet opening 19. When the pump is set in motion, the centrifugal action of impeller 3 will force the liquid contained in tank 11 through the volute 6.

[0033] Consequently and at the same time, a vacuum of substantially high manometric value will be generated at the impeller inlet and this, in turn, will cause non-return valve 30 to open, so that air will be sucked from suction pipe 9. This air, together with the water arriving from tank 11 through pipe 28 and annular passage 29, will now be sucked into the impeller, thus starting the self-priming process. The high manometric value assures the intake of a substantial quantity of air-liquid mixture, but whereas the air with its low inertia will find it easy to arrive at the impeller, the liquid coming from the tank, given its greater inertia and the prefixed pressure drop caused by its passage through pipe 28 and annular passage 29, will encounter greater difficulty and arrive there in smaller quantity. The mixture taken in by the impeller will thus become richer in air and this will cause a gradual reduction of its suction power, so that the non-return valve will eventually close and stop any further outflow of air. With only water from tank 11 reaching the impeller through pipe 28 and passage 29, the suction power of the impeller is increased again, so that the non-return valve will open once more; when the consequent air flow becomes excessive, it will again limit the suction power of the impeller, thus causing the non-return valve to close, so that the impeller will once again become filled with liquid only. The consequent increase of the impeller's suction capacity will then draw more air from the suction pipe through the non-return valve. When the air removal rate from the suction pipe is optimal, the self-priming process will proceed in a regular and continuous manner until some unbalance is caused by an excess of air (since an excess of water would bring the self-priming process to a halt) with respect to the initial calibration of the system by means of the use of the most appropriate number of annular shims 26 b.

[0034] The air present in the stream discharged into tank 11 separates from the liquid and escapes through the vent hole 20.

[0035] Valve 13 remains open during the self-priming process, because the pressure in tank 11 is little more than atmospheric.

[0036] Once the pump has been primed, the liquid that arrives at the impeller eye through the suction pipe will fill tank 11, where it will eventually generate a pressure such as to close valve 13, thus excluding the recirculation circuit. At this point the pump comes into normal operation and liquid will start issuing from discharge s pipe 10.

[0037] If an air bubble or pocket should form during the operation of the pump, it would cause the closure of valve 30 and a consequent pressure drop in tank 11, which would re-open valve 13, so that liquid would once again reach the impeller eye through pipe 28; this, in turn, will step up the impeller's suction capacity, thus causing the re-opening of valve 30 and triggering a new self-priming cycle until the pump is completely primed.

[0038] When the air presence in the suction pipe is due to lack of liquid (in case of breakage of the suction pipe, for example) the liquid present in the system will keep on circulating, thus preventing seal breaking and serious damage of the pump, etc.

[0039] When the pump is shut down, the pressure in tank 11 will drop and thus cause the re-opening of valve 13. The next time the pump is brought into operation, it will therefore be in an optimal condition for re-starting the self-priming process.

[0040] By way of example and with a view to attaining the maximum possible suction head, the section of the recirculation pipe 28 was made equal to about half the section of the pump's suction pipe and the flow section of the annular passage 29 was calibrated to be smaller than the section of the suction pipe. The length of the recirculation pipe was chosen as 200 mm. The suction mouth of the pump on which the tests were carried out had a diameter of 2″, while the discharge pipe had a diameter of 1¼″. The pump motor had a rating of 4 kW and operated at 2800 r.p.m. In these conditions and with a suction head of about 9 m the pump primed itself in about two an a half minutes.

[0041] The centrifugal pump in accordance with the present invention offers the following advantages:

[0042] a) rapid self-priming at start-up even when the pump has to operate against a considerable suction head (up to 9 m);

[0043] b) the self-priming device does not restrict the section of the suction pipe and does therefore exert any negative effects on performance when the pump is operating at steady state condition;

[0044] c) the self-priming process is automatically activated every time air bubbles or pockets cause the pump to operate in an irregular manner: in this case, in fact, the pressure in chamber 11 b of tank 11 will not be sufficient to overcome the elastic reaction of spring 17, which will therefore raise cap 14 and thus reactivate the circulation of the liquid through passage 16 and recirculation duct 28;

[0045] d) the seals or stuffing boxes of the pump are protected even when no liquid arrives through the suction pipe, because in that case the recirculation of the liquid through duct 28 will immediately become re-activated.

[0046] Tank 11 must always be situated at some level higher than the pump itself, even though it need not necessarily be arranged immediately above it; indeed, it could also be situated at a certain distance from the pump and be connected to it by recirculation ducts at the suction and discharge side. Anyway it is important that the hydraulic circuit associated with the tank should not form siphons or zones that cannot be reached by the liquid either during the filling phase or during the self-priming phase, thus avoiding the formation of air pockets that could have negative effects on the self-priming process.

[0047] It is also important that the liquid coming from the pump should be discharged at the bottom of the tank, so that—no matter what the operating conditions—the liquid level in the tank will be such as to prevent air from reaching the interior of the pump. Advantageously, the liquid could be discharged into the tank by means of a right-angle nozzle 31 projecting into the tank. Similarly, the recirculation duct 28 must be connected to the bottom of tank 11 and in a position such as to assure that the liquid will be reasonably turbolence-free when it arrives there. Wall 12, dividing the tank into two chambers, besides facilitating the separation of the air from the liquid, also performs the function of avoiding formation of turbolence.

[0048] The section of the recirculation duct 28 amounts to about 50% of the section of the suction pipe and therefore assures an abundant flow of liquid from tank to impeller; when the tank is located remote from the pump, the section of this pipe will have to be appropriately increased.

[0049] The annular passage 29 delimited by truncated cone portion 22 a and the free end of pipe stub 26 performs the function of optimizing the pressure drop necessary for the self-priming process as a function of the required suction head and improving the hydrodynamic distribution of the flow towards the impeller.

[0050] The self-priming device, which is substantially constituted by body 21 and, if present, pipe stub 26 inside it, together with recirculation duct 28 and tank 11, may be integrated in the pump body or, in any case, intimately connected with. Another possibility would be to realize the self-priming device described hereinabove for the specific purpose of rendering an existing centrifugal pump as self-priming. In that case, obviously, the components of the device will have to be sized in such a way as to be compatible with the pump into which they are to be incorporated.

[0051] Variations and/or modifications could be brought to the self-priming centrifugal pump in accordance with the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereinbelow. 

1. A centrifugal pump comprising a pump body (1) housing an impeller (3) keyed onto a motor shaft (4) and provided with a suction mouth (7) and a discharge mouth (8) capable of being made to communicate with, respectively, a suction pipe (9) and a discharge pipe (10), characterized in that between said suction mouth and said suction pipe there is provided a chamber (22) that communicates with a tank (11) situated at a higher level than said pump, said tank being interposed between said discharge mouth (8) and said discharge pipe (10) and in communication with both of them and communicating also with said chamber (22) through a recirculation duct (28) having a section smaller than that of the suction pipe (9), between said tank (11) and said chamber (22) there being also provided means (13) for cutting off the flow that are controlled by the pressure existing in said tank and to automatically cause the fluid to be recirculated through said chamber (22) and into the pump whenever the pressure in said tank drops below a predetermined value.
 2. A centrifugal pump in accordance with claim 1, wherein between said suction mouth (7) and said suction pipe (9) there is interposed a body (21) that delimits said chamber (22) and provided with an inlet port (24) and an outlet port (25) in coaxial positions, the diameter of said inlet port being equal to the diameter of the suction pipe, said body being further provided with a recirculation port (23) connected to said recirculation duct (28) that communicates with said tank (11), and where a pipe stub (26) having an internal diameter equal to the diameter of the suction pipe (9) extends coaxially from said inlet port (24) into said chamber (22) and towards said outlet port (25), said chamber having a portion (22 a) that converges towards said outlet port, so that the free end of said pipe stub (26) defines an annular passage (29) with said converging portion (22 a) of said chamber (22).
 3. A centrifugal pump in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the flow section of said annular passage (29) is adjustable.
 4. A centrifugal pump in accordance with claim 3, wherein said body is made up of two coupled parts (21 a,b) and said pipe stub (26) comprises a flange (26 a) that can be engaged between said two parts, between one of said parts (21 b) and said flange (26 a) there being interposed annular shims (26 b) that can be displaced between the other of said parts (21 a) and said flange (26 a) to adjust the flow section of said annular passage (29).
 5. A centrifugal pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tank (11) comprises an internal wall (12) for dividing it into a first and a second chamber (11 a,b) such that the first chamber (11 a) communicates with the discharge mouth (8) and the discharge pipe (10) and the second chamber (11 b) with the recirculation duct (28), said first and second chamber communicating with each other through an opening (5) formed in said wall (12) where it meets the bottom of the tank, said means (13) for cutting off the flow being interposed between said second chamber (11 b) and the recirculation duct (28).
 6. A centrifugal pump in accordance with claim 5, wherein said means (13) for cutting off the flow comprise a passage formed on the bottom of said second chamber (11 b) and a cap (14) that is elastically maintained in position away from said passage whenever the pressure in said second chamber is smaller than a predetermined value.
 7. A centrifugal pump in accordance with claim 6, wherein said wall (12) is also provided with an opening (5 a) near the top of said tank (11) between said first chamber (11 a) and said second chamber (11 b).
 8. A centrifugal pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the section of said recirculation duct (28) is about half the section of the suction duct (9).
 9. A centrifugal pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flow section of said annular passage (29) is smaller than the section of said recirculation duct (28).
 10. A centrifugal pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid is discharged into said tank (11) through a nozzle in the form of a right-angle bend (31) that extends from the tank bottom into said first chamber (11 a).
 11. A device for rendering a centrifugal pump self-priming, characterized in that it comprises a body (21) capable of being interposed between the suction pipe (9) and the suction mouth (7) of the pump, said body delimiting an internal chamber (22) that can be communicated with the suction pipe by means of a first inlet port (24) and to the suction mouth by means of an outlet port (25) and being further provided with a second inlet port (23) that communicates through a recirculation duct (28) with a tank (11) arranged at a level higher than the level of the pump and communicating with both the discharge mouth (8) of the pump and a discharge pipe (10), said recirculation duct (28) having a section smaller than the section of the suction pipe (9) and comprising means (13) for cutting off the flow that are controlled by the pressure existing in said tank, so that recirculation of the liquid through said chamber (22) and into the pump will be automatically started whenever the pressure in said tank (11) drops below a predetermined value.
 12. A device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said chamber (22) has a portion (22 a) converging towards said outlet port (25) and, coaxially to said first inlet port (24), a pipe stub (26) of diameter equal to that of said suction pipe (9) extends within said chamber, the free end of said pipe stub (26) forming an annular passage (29) with said converging portion (22 a).
 13. A device in accordance with claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the flow section of said annular passage (29) is adjustable.
 14. A device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said body (21) is made up of two coupled parts (21 a,b) and said pipe stub (26) comprises a flange (26 a) that can be engaged between said two parts, between one of said parts (21 b) and said flange (26 a) there being interposed annular shims (26 b) that can be displaced between the other of said parts (21 a) and said flange (26 a) to adjust the flow section of said annular passage (29).
 15. A device in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein said tank comprises an internal wall (12) for dividing it into a first and a second chamber (11 a,b) such that the first chamber (11 a) communicates with the discharge mouth (8) and the discharge duct (10) and the second chamber (11 b) with the recirculation duct (28), said first and second chamber communicating with each other through an opening (5) formed on said wall (12) where it meets the bottom of the tank, said means (13) for cutting off the flow being interposed between said second chamber (11 b) and the recirculation duct (28).
 16. A device in accordance with claim 15, wherein said means (13) for cutting off the flow comprise a passage formed on the bottom of said second chamber (11 b) and a cap (14) that is elastically maintained in position away from said passage whenever the pressure in said second chamber is smaller than a predetermined value.
 17. A device in accordance with claim 16, wherein said wall (12) is also formed with an opening (5 a) near the top of said tank (11) through which said first chamber (11 a) communicates with said second chamber (11 b).
 18. A device in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the flow section of said recirculation duct (28) is about half the flow section of the suction pipe (9).
 19. A device in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the flow section of said annular passage (26) is smaller than the section of said recirculation duct (28).
 20. A device in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the liquid is discharged into said tank (11) through a nozzle (31) in the form of a right-angle bend extending from the tank bottom into said first chamber (11 a). 